


show me the mothers who raised the queens

by altoinkblots



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Moms Made Fullmetal 2020, No Proofreading We Die Like Men, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:49:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altoinkblots/pseuds/altoinkblots
Summary: Mei held out her hands. A small panda, smaller than Hong had ever seen, shivered in the palms of Mei’s hands. “I found her while I was out walking. She’s injured. Can we help?”Hong placed her hands under Mei’s and the little girl gave the little panda to her. “I don’t know, Mei,” said Hong, looking over the panda. It too was soaking wet. “It’s almost too small to survive. I’m surprised it’s still alive.”Mei brings home a wet and shivering Xiao Mei, begging her mother to let the shivering little panda into their home.
Relationships: Mei Chan | May Chang & Xiao Mei, Mei Chan | Mei Chang & Original Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020





	show me the mothers who raised the queens

**Author's Note:**

> Again, I wrote this in about an hour. All mistakes are mine, but it's out there so I won't worry about it.
> 
> This was written for Moms Made Fullmetal 2020; today's prompt was growth, school, or first steps; I played it loose but it still fits the prompt and the theme of moms so hooray. Enjoy!!

“Mom! Mom! Mom!”

Hong looked up from her cooking and at her daughter, Mei, who was barreling towards her. She was completely soaked, her beautiful black hair hanging heavy down her face. “What is it?”

Mei held out her hands. A small panda, smaller than Hong had ever seen, shivered in the palms of Mei’s hands. “I found her while I was out walking. She’s injured. Can we help?”

Hong placed her hands under Mei’s and the little girl gave the little panda to her. “I don’t know, Mei,” said Hong, looking over the panda. It too was soaking wet. “It’s almost too small to survive. I’m surprised it’s still alive.”

“But I found her, Mom,” Mei said, falling to her knees. “She’s small and weak like I am. But she’s a fighter. See? She bit me.” Mei held out her finger. Right there, on her finger, was a ring of small puncture wounds. “I even gave her a name. Xiao Mei.”

Hong held the little panda closer to her face. The poor thing sneezed and Hong sighed. “All right,” she said. “But Xiao Mei is your responsibility. You have to feed her, and clean her, and teach her where to go to the bathroom—“

“And she can help me with my alkahestry!”

Hong blinked. “Your… Mei, she’s a  _ panda _ .”

“I know.”

Hong looked into her daughter’s big, trembling eyes. She really wanted this. Her hands were even clasped together, they were begging her to keep the panda. Hong sighed. She couldn’t give Mei much, but she could give her this. She gently placed Xiao Mei into Mei’s waiting and capable hands. “All right. On top of your alkahestry, this panda is yours.”

Mei’s face lit up, and Hong was reminded of how Mei had her wrapped around her finger. How could she ever say no to a face like that?

“We should feed her,” said Mei. “What do pandas eat?”

“Bamboo.”

Mei jumped to her feet and ran to the door. She paused, then ran back to Hong. “Can you keep an eye on her? I’m going to go and get some bamboo.”

“What do you want me to do?”

Mei looked around. “Keep her by the fire, help her warm up. I’ll be right back!”

Mei shoved Xiao Mei into Hong’s hands and ran out the door into the rain. “Stay warm, otherwise you’ll catch a cold!” Hong cried, but it was too late. Mei was long gone. 

Hong looked down at the tiny little panda. It was a runt, but it was also smaller than any runt she had ever seen before. She sighed and placed Xiao Mei by the hot bricks, close enough to get some warmth but far enough away that she wouldn’t get burned. She turned back to her cooking. 

“Honestly, that girl is spoiled,” she muttered. “First alkahestry, and now this.”

Except Mei wasn’t spoiled. None of them were. Their clan was low, low enough that they could barely fend for themselves. Hong was one of the few lucky ones, being the daughter of the clan leader and Mei the daughter of the emperor. But the emperor didn’t care about Mei. Yes, she was the seventeenth princess, but that didn’t mean she was important by any means. At least not in the grand scheme of Xing. 

But Mei had alkahestry. A skill that was rare in their clan and she was clearly talented. Talented with a big heart. 

Hong looked down at Xiao Mei who had stopped shivering. She stood up and grabbed the bucket of water and chopsticks, going back to kneel next to Xiao Mei. She dipped the chopsticks into the water. Carefully opening Xiao Mei’s mouth, she dripped water from the chopsticks into the panda’s mouth. 

Mei came bursting into the room. “I found some bamboo.” She stopped. “Mom? Is… is everything okay?”

“Have you tried using alkahestry on her?”

Mei blinked. “No, I didn’t have anything on me…”

“Go get them.”

Mei nodded and ran out of the room. Xiao Mei stirred and looked weakly up at Hong. The panda let out a low squeak, then her eyes rolled back and it flopped back onto the ground. 

“Xiao Mei!” Mei screeched. “It’s okay, I’ve got you!”

Hong watched her daughter draw the circle and five-point star around Xiao Mei, gently placing her markers around her. Her tiny hands slapped onto the ground and blue electricity filled the room, illuminating Mei’s fierce expression. The light faded, and Mei huddled close to Hong.

Slowly, Xiao Mei opened her eyes and rose to her feet. She took one shaky step, then another before falling into Mei’s outstretched hands. Mei looked up at Hong, her face alight and tears brimming in her eyes. “It worked,” she said.

Hong pulled her daughter close. “Yes it did. You did a wonderful job, Mei.”

Mei leaned over Hong to grab the little bit of bamboo she had gotten. “Eat up, Xiao Mei. You need to get your strength back.”

Xiao Mei didn’t open her mouth. She sniffed the air and poked out of Mei’s grasp and to the fire that Hong had been cooking on. Both Hong and Mei stared at the panda. 

“I think she wants people food,” said Mei.

“I think you’re right.”

Mei gently placed Xiao Mei on her shoulder and moved around the little room with ease, getting out bowls and chopsticks. Hong sat back, preferring to watch her daughter move around.  _ She would make a fine empress someday _ , Hong thought. 

Xiao Mei was chirping happily on Mei’s shoulder, and she was talking right back to her. Back and forth, as if they could really understand each other. 

“Mei?”

Mei turned around. “Yes, Mom?”

“I love you.”

Her face split into a grin. “I love you too, Mom. And so does Xiao Mei.”

Hong smiled. “That’s good to hear, but I loved you first. Never forget that.”

“I won’t, Mom. Besides, I’m going to be the empress some day and thank you for letting me keep Xiao Mei.”

Hong smiled. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to! I’m going to be the empress and I’ll bring our clan honor and good luck and you’ll live in a palace and you won’t have to work as hard as you do now.”

“But I don’t mind working.”

Mei furrowed her eyebrows. “But… you work so hard. I want to make your life easier.”

Hong stood up and walked over to Mei. She knelt down and wrapped her daughter in a hug. “I’m working for you. And I would do anything for you, for our clan.”

Mei hugged Hong back, and squeezed her tight. “I know, Mom. And I love you too.”


End file.
